Continue reading “Why Brand Strategy Needs to Start in the C-Suite”
Tag: Brand
Is Your Brand’s Biggest Threat…Your Brand?
Branding in a World Full of Screens
A world full of screens
Joel paints a picture of a world that’s filled with screens – far more than the four business currently focuses upon:
“The basic dilemma for marketers is this: there are now too many screens to count. Set aside PCs, tablets, smartphones, and TVs (connected or otherwise), for a moment. Your car, your thermostat, your washer and dryer, your refrigerator are all on their way to being “smart” as well – connected to the internet and to each other, featuring screens that offer up all sorts of information, from usage data to content, like a fridge that suggests recipes based on the food stored inside”.
Marketers are either too stunned to act, or misguided in how they should proceed
This technological transformation has left marketers in a messy situation. Apparently only 45% still don’t have a mobile presence. And among those who do, they all to often ask the question, “How can I advertise on all those screens?”, when they really should be asking, “How can I create useful apps (services/experiences/utilities) that make life easier, more interesting and more gratifying for people whichever screen they choose to focus upon in the moment?”
Set a different course for your organization
When your brand is driven by empathy, purpose and emotion, your marketing organization rethinks what their job really is. They are more likely to think beyond old-school advertising and embrace the new multi-screen world of usefulness.
Here’s why:
- By being encouraged to adopt a more empathetic attitude, they will be better able to focus on the higher-order needs, interests, values and aspirations of people.
- By having a common, higher-order purpose (one that goes beyond profits and shareholder returns), they will better see the emotionally meaningful role the brand (and they as employees of the brand) can have in people’s lives.
- By evoking a set of specific emotions, they will be better able to engage people through feelings that win attention, earn loyalty, influence decisions and generate word-of-mouth endorsements.
Make amazing things happen within, and around, your brand
Once empathy, purpose and emotion are the basis for brand behavior, amazing things can happen.
Your brand will cut across all the screens, and create emotionally meaningful moments for the one set of eyes that are in constant motion, from screen to screen.
Connecting the Dots Between Brand Strategy and Brand Moments
The One Thing Your Brand Strategy Doesn’t Need
The decision to develop a brand strategy or refresh your brand strategy will be typically driven by a specific need. Either you are just starting out and need to establish your brand, or you’ve found that your current brand strategy is holding your business back. Regardless, it’s critical to ensure your new brand strategy takes your business where you need it to be.
Experience shows us that many brand strategies fail because they are inwardly focused. They are myopic in that they lead with product features and benefits and the business’s explicit needs to create growth and increase profitability. And while this approach may have worked in the past, more and more brands are realizing the value in working from outside in.
The key to this successful brand strategy approach is empathy.
Continue reading “The One Thing Your Brand Strategy Doesn’t Need”
10 Reasons Why Business Should Banish the Word “Brand”
Our rather controversial thoughts on “Brand”
1. It is meaningless
Ask five people in your company what the word “brand” means and you’ll get at least seven definitions. As such, the meaning of the word “brand” is completely diluted and lacking in concise meaning. That’s not helpful.
Continue reading “10 Reasons Why Business Should Banish the Word “Brand””
Brands That Celebrate Beautiful Human Values Enjoy Well-Earned Respect
Steve demonstrated generosity by sharing it with us, we are doing the same with you, and now we hope you do it as well with everyone you know and love!
And while you’re doing that, think about how your brand could contribute to the social good by promoting human values in lovely ways like this.
Thanks Steve! Continue reading “Brands That Celebrate Beautiful Human Values Enjoy Well-Earned Respect”
Why Do Startups Have Prehistoric Ideas About Branding?
Startup Brand Strategy
One of the ironies of today’s world is that the leaders of the most innovative startups have the least innovative ideas about what it takes to create a brand and the value of investing in startup brand strategy.
The fact is, logos and messages don’t make a brand.
At least, they won’t make a brand that will thrive in the world today.
Studies prove, and we are talking about a lot of research here — People (as in your customers, prospects, employees, partners and investors) are all looking for more from brands when they invest time and money.
Continue reading “Why Do Startups Have Prehistoric Ideas About Branding?”
The Power of Brands Doing Good
One has to applaud how the Dove brand, under the guidance of Ogilvy & Mather, has become a vivid example of emotionally meaningful branding.
They seized a fertile ground – women’s insecurity about their own bodies – and, rather than exploiting it as the industry typically does, set out to do something about it.
In this brilliant film, Dove reveals two drawings by a forensic detective to each woman featured. The first is a drawing based on how the woman described herself to the detective. The second shows the drawing the detective drew of the woman, based on how another person described her following a brief chat.
Releasing The Pent Up Meaning Within Brands
One of the joys we have in our work is watching as our clients, who run highly successful companies, are surprised and delighted to see how their brands can matter more to people.
We’re not in the business of creating illusions.
We dig deep into our client’s business to uncover “meaningful truths” that are already operating below the surface.
By shedding light on the rational and emotional value of these truths, we are able to show our clients just how much they can matter to people on both a rational and emotional level.
Continue reading “Releasing The Pent Up Meaning Within Brands”